Can't Help Myself
by NarundiJedi
Summary: Kyp Durron battles for love amidst treachery, petty rivalry, and the wise cracks of one Mara Jade Skywalker. . .Valin Horn, Luke Skywalker and little Li'aa Narundi co-star
1. The Meeting

~Well, I decided to finally post this. I really felt that it would be fun to post a Kyp story, since I like his character so much. I just forgot the first time I posted this that I needed a disclaimer. First off, I'd like to say that SW is George's and not mine and this is just me playing in his universe. ;-) Second, and this is for all you people who want to barf when you read about any Mary Sues at all. This story's female lead might contain some elements of what some people call Mary Sue-ism. So, if you really hate it, then don't read it. For all of you who can stand Mary Sues, she's not so bad that she's Corran Horn, so I hope I haven't scared you too much! :-P All right, on with the show!~  
  
  
  
Chapter One- The Meeting  
  
  
  
Compared to some days Kyp Durron had seen in his forty-two years, this one was decidedly mundane. It began without incident. He climbed out of bed and washed away the grogginess in the fresher before dressing in his traditional garb: a charcoal gray jumpsuit, knee-high black boots (freshly polished to crisp gleam), and a black belt with a burnished metallic buckle. To complete his attire, Kyp donned his shimmering black cape—a gift from Han Solo so many years ago.  
  
The Jedi Master moved quietly through the flagstone corridors of the Great Temple until at last he emerged into a sun-bathed clearing. Kyp squinted as his eyes adjusted to the brilliant daylight. He caught a glimpse of the silhouettes of Master Skywalker and some of the apprentices through the glare and mumbled a sleepy greeting to each of them as he stifled a yawn.  
  
'Never was a morning person,' Kyp thought with a smile.  
  
Working with some of the younger apprentices on the techniques of meditation proved to be quite an enjoyable experience after so many years of adversity. Kyp had seen enough hardship and tragedy to last a thousand lifetimes. He had grown up in the harsh darkness of the Kessel Spice Mines. Han Solo and his companion freed him from that nightmarish place and introduced him to Luke Skywalker, who took him in as a Jedi apprentice. Shortly after his arrival at the Jedi praxeum, Kyp fell under the influence of an ancient Sith Lord named Exar Kun. In the short-lived—but cataclysmic—rampage, the apprentice managed to destroy the entire Carida system and incapacitate Master Skywalker. It was finally the expulsion of Kun's influence that prevented Kyp from eradicating his good friend, Solo, who had tried to intervene with Kyp's murderous spree. Upon his capture, Kyp's life was spared on the condition that he live out the rest of his days as a servant of the New Republic.  
  
Things were peaceful for the next dozen or so years. But an alien race called the Yuuzhan Vong changed that. Taking instruction from their gods, the Yuuzhan Vong entered the galaxy with the sole intent of domination. They engaged in mass genocide as the moved from world to world throughout the New Republic. Those who weren't massacred by the Vong became their slaves.  
  
The New Republic and the Jedi suffered many losses in the war against the invaders, but eventually they drove the Yuuzhan Vong back from whence they came. Kyp recalled the celebrations that erupted when victory was at last obtained. He remembered elation that he'd felt inside when it happened.  
  
Even that memory paled in comparison to the happiness he currently felt in his heart. Kyp sensed that his work with these children, however routine it seemed to be, was one of the greatest things he'd ever done, despite his service to the New Republic in battle. For the first time in his life Kyp wasn't struggling with guilt over the things he'd done in the past. For the first time he was free.  
  
Kyp was stirred from his reverie by the sound of a ship flying overhead. He glanced at the markings in confusion.  
  
"What's a N'aanwarian passenger shuttle doing here?" Kyp asked Luke as they chased after their distracted students, who were now anxiously running for the landing grid. Visitors on Yavin 4 were scarce, and usually limited to the occasional supply shuttle. When a new spacecraft did arrive, it was quite an event. Jedi-like calm was replaced by unbridled curiosity.  
  
"Remember when I told you we were understaffed?" Luke asked with a slight grin. "Well, this is our help."  
  
The shuttle's landing ramp touched down on the mossy soil as a cloaked figure appeared at the mouth of the entry. Excited murmurs rippled through the crowd of students as the figure reached the bottom of the ramp and removed the silvery cloak in a fluid blur of cloth. She stood in place for only a moment, soaking in the dazzling sunlight.  
  
Despite his efforts to maintain his composure, Kyp cold do little more than stare at the woman, his mouth agape. Carried on the gentle breeze, her silky blond hair flowed behind her and cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Her sage eyes sparkled like the gems of Gallinore as the sun hit them at just the right angle. Kyp's eyes ventured downward to the soft creamy skin of her neck peeking out from underneath her formfitting silver flight suit. He marveled at the iridescence of her outfit, and at the womanly form that it concealed.  
  
"Yeah," Muttered Kyp as he turned around, casting a sidelong glance at Luke. "That's quite the help you've found!" 


	2. Confusion

The young woman broke away from her placid expression instantaneously. A grin spread across her face as her eyes sparked mischievously. It was a smile that Kyp had grown accustomed to, although he couldn't quite identify where he had last seen it.  
  
"You'll find I really am quite helpful, Durron," She purred as her grin melted into a sly smirk. He watched in astonishment as she stealthily approached him, his eyes widening as she came nose-to-nose with him. She paused for a second before giving him a quizzical look. "You don't remember me, do you?"  
  
Kyp thought for a second, about the smile that seemed so familiar and those cool green eyes. He vaguely remembered a previous encounter with both after he'd been knocked off his feet. . .  
  
"Li'aania Narundi," Kyp said, the words escaping his mouth in a rush of surprise. His past memories of the girl didn't quite match up with the striking young woman that was currently touching noses with him. The image of an obnoxious teenager that was filed under the heading "Brodey's younger sister" was instantly shattered and all that Kyp could do was stare in awe at what had taken its place.  
  
"Call me Li'aa, unless you want to die an unfortunate and painful death," She said with a wicked glint in her eyes as she extended her hand to him.  
  
i'Ok, so maybe she's still a bit obnoxious,'/i he thought as he firmly shook her slender hand.  
  
i'I heard that,'/i echoed a disembodied voice in his head. She gave him a playful wink as he shot her a look of shock.  
  
i'How the heck is she inside my head?'/i Kyp mused. Then it occurred to him. She was a Narundi, the sister of one of the strongest jedi masters with whom Kyp had ever come in contact. It was ludicrous to believe that she didn't also share some degree of her brother's talent with the force. Obviously she was nearly his equal.  
  
"Master Skywalker," Li'aa said as she broke her gaze with Kyp. She turned slightly to bow respectfully to the older jedi master. "I look forward to working with you at your praxeum." The jedi master smiled warmly at the young woman and returned her bow. After noticing fifty sets of inquisitive eyes staring back at him he cleared his throat and began to speak.  
  
"This is Li'aania Narundi, the younger sister of Brodaeus Narundi. Some of you who have been here for a while may remember him instructing you in the arts of lightsaber dueling and hand-to-hand combat. We've been in need of help in that area for quite some time. I sent a request to Noaa'lan, Li'aa's father, at Narundi Academy and he told me that his daughter was more than willing to help us out. So lets give our new combat skills instructor a warm welcome," Luke said, beaming proudly.  
  
The clearing erupted in applause that lasted for a good length of time before tapering off. Everyone crowded around the young woman, eager to meet her. She seemed quite calm and maintained her composure despite the extra attention. Kyp had to remind himself that she was a princess and that interacting with crowds came second nature to her.  
  
"We really are incredibly lucky to have her with us," Luke said as he moved up next to Kyp. "Her father said he was being modest by saying she was twice as good as Brodey with a lightsaber."  
  
Kyp thought back to the multitude of times that Brodey had utterly annihilated him in a duel. He may have been Kyp's apprentice but in that area he was the master. The thought of there possibly being anyone better, let alone twice as talented as Brodey made Kyp's head hurt.  
  
'Is that so?' Kyp ruminated with a grin. 'I'll have to see about that at some point.'  
  
A firm smack on his shoulder jostled Kyp from his thoughts. He whipped around to see Li'aa beaming at him once again, and he couldn't help but notice her hand slide down to his biceps and give it a gentle squeeze. It took him a few seconds to realize that she was just pulling him closer to her ship.  
  
"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to help me bring my stuff to my room," Li'aa said brightly. An immense pack flew out of the ship's cargo hold into Kyp's waiting arms before he could even answer. Three equally sized packages floated out after it and hovered behind the young woman.  
  
"It doesn't look like I have much of a choice, does it?" Kyp murmured, casting her an indignant half-smile. "Why do you need my help anyway if you're carrying all the other baggage using TK?" He asked quietly as they reached her corridor.  
  
"Well, maybe I wanted to give you this," She muttered as she reached into her hip pocket. With a little fumbling she pulled out a tiny holochit and handed it to Kyp. He felt a small spark of electricity pass between them as their hands touched, the same one he'd felt when she grabbed his arm.  
  
'Get a grip, Durron!' He said, scolding himself, and he prayed that she couldn't read his thoughts at that very moment. After studying her expression he determined that either she hadn't noticed his reaction to her touch or she noticed and tactfully chose to ignore it. She just simply keyed open the door to her room and sauntered in to admire its dustiness.  
  
"Looks like this place could use a little work," Li'aa murmured, her voice echoing off the room's high ceiling.  
  
"So, what exactly is this?" Kyp asked curiously, raising one eyebrow at her as he pointed to the chit in his hand.  
  
"Not quite sure," Li'aa said matter-of-factly. "All I know is that Brodey wanted me to give it to you. It's probably just a message from him and the family."  
  
"Ah. Well, it'll be nice to hear from him again," Kyp said cheerfully. "I know he's probably busier than I can possibly imagine, with three kids to take care of and a kingdom over which to rule."  
  
"The kids are the hard part," Li'aania chuckled, her laughter sounding surprisingly melodic despite the fact that it was both soft and low. Kyp once again found his thoughts clouded from her. He stared at her for a split second with a bewildered expression on his face before snapping out of it.  
  
"Well," Kyp said, clearing his surprisingly hoarse throat, "I should get back to my kids. You know, the entire jedi master thing."  
  
i'Oh Gods! Brilliant choice of words, Kyp!'/i He thought, cringing inside immediately after he uttered them. i'She's reduced your communication skills to those of an adolescent!'/i  
  
"Great!" She said enthusiastically, clapping her hands together. "I should get started with this unpacking if I ever want to finish before sundown."  
  
"Yeah, definitely," Kyp agreed as he backed out of her room, hitting his head on the doorframe as he went. He tried to hide his clumsiness and regain his composure, but the hand that she had covering her wide grin told him it was too late.  
  
"Are you ok?" She laughed, this one higher in pitch and even more musical than the first.  
  
"Fine," Kyp stated, massaging the bump on the back of his head and trying to laugh at himself despite his wounded ego.  
  
"See you at lunch," She said, still beaming at him.  
  
"Bye," Kyp replied, getting out of there before the spread of crimson on his cheeks betrayed his embarrassment. It had been a few years since he'd even remotely felt this way about a woman and the fact that he couldn't control his impulses was equally amazing. There was something about Li'aania Narundi, something that he couldn't explain, and that both alarmed and excited him at the same time. He pushed those thoughts of his best friend's beautiful blond sister out of his mind as he reached the clearing where Master Skywalker and the rest of the students were practicing levitating rocks. Some things were just far more important, he concluded. 


	3. Brotherly Love

Li'aania coughed as she ran her hand along one of the shelves in her room, a cloud of dust billowing in its wake. When she'd proclaimed that this place would need a lot of work she'd obviously had no idea just how much was truly needed. After brushing the dust off of her hands she bent down and scooped a few circular discs from a box at her feet.  
  
She placed a large silver disk onto the highest shelf, running her finger along the bottom of it and causing it to emit a blue glow. The top of the disk opened as a column of light shot up from the inside. In the center of the column were perfect miniature images of her three brothers smiling for the holocam on a weekend getaway to the polar regions of N'aanwaria.  
  
A wave of homesickness hit her as she saw Ch'aanlei holding his chin up heroically after conquering the mountain, Brodey smiling warmly, and Ericho pulling a horrible face. It occurred to her that this was the first night she'd ever been away from at least one of them. Even when her uncle sent them into hiding she had Ericho and Ch'aanlei there to make her feel safe.  
  
'You're being ridiculous,' Li'aania told herself. 'There's no safer place than here, among so many jedi.'  
  
She sighed as she put other disks up on the shelves. One by one the faces of her parents, of Brodey and his wife and kids, of Ch'aanlei and Raiina, and of the girls of her sisterhood appeared before her. They all smiled cheerily back at her but the only thing she felt was sorrow. She didn't realize until their images began to blur that she'd been crying.  
  
"Get a grip, Li'aa," She whispered harshly to herself, wiping the tears away fiercely. "You're an adult, and you have a job, so you might as well start acting the part."  
  
Li'aa spun around abruptly as the chirp of the comm pierced through the room's silence. She reached out to smack the transmission button and made a face as her brother's image appeared through thick static.  
  
"Happy to see me?" Ericho quipped, a goofy smile spreading across his face as he observed his sister's expression.  
  
"Definitely happy to see you," Li'aania sighed, plopping down on her bed. "I miss you."  
  
"Awwww, I miss you too, little sis!" Ericho cooed. "Has it been a rough first day?"  
  
"It hasn't even begun yet. I'm still unpacking."  
  
"So I see," Ericho observed, looking at the holos perched on her shelves. "Getting a little teary-eyed over them?"  
  
"Shut up, you!" She whimpered, hiding her face from her brother as he laughed at her. "I got a bit emotional! You don't have to rub it in."  
  
"Yes I do have to rub it in. I AM your brother," Ericho said, winking at her.  
  
"So, how is everything at home?" Li'aa asked, changing the subject quickly.  
  
"Well, Nik'aau is being his defiant little self, except that he learned a few new words. He's been driving Brodey and father crazy lately. Nil'aan is still pretty quiet and nothing like his twin. He seems to be a lot closer to his mother."  
  
"How is she, by the way?" Li'aa asked curiously. "I thought I sensed something new going on with her just before I left."  
  
"Well, that something new is another baby," Ericho said with a smile. "Her highness should be due in another seven months."  
  
"Ugh. I don't know how she does it. Four kids in four years. Just the thought of it makes me cringe," Li'aa said with a grimace.  
  
"You'll probably end up having more," Ericho said bluntly.  
  
"No way," Li'aa groaned. "I am way too young to think about kids or marriage or boys or anything of the sort!"  
  
"Denial is wonderful," Ericho laughed, cocking his head to the side. "Speaking of boys, did you run across that certain sexy someone that you pined over night after night?"  
  
"Yes, I did, and no, I don't still have feelings for him, so you can shut up right now!" Li'aa yelled, running up to the comm screen and sticking a finger right in her brother's face.  
  
"Oh, come on! Li'aania Durron has such a nice ring to it! You said so yourself!" Ericho cackled.  
  
"I was a stupid little kid with an infatuation. We've all had those, haven't we?" She said, her voice taking on a dark inflection.  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm working on acting on it," He muttered, looking down at his hands.  
  
"You've been working on asking my best friend out for the past two years. I don't believe anything is going to change now, Ericho." She scolded, accentuating his name.  
  
"If I get a date with your best friend then will you ask Kyp out?" He said, waggling his eyebrows at her.  
  
"All right, it's a deal," She replied. "But only because I know how much of a coward you really are."  
  
"Well sis, get ready for that date with Mr. Durron, because I'm going in!" Ericho proclaimed.  
  
"Good luck!" She shot back.  
  
"Listen, it's been nice talking to you. I wish I could stay on longer but I have to get down to business," He said, winking annoyingly again. "Bye sis!"  
  
"Bye dork," She said, sticking her tongue out at him. Sometimes her brother could be so unbearably annoying and she wanted to strangle him. As his image blinked off the screen she realized she felt a bit better about being away from her family. At least she could escape his aggravating taunting.  
  
'And why does he still bug me about Kyp?' She thought to herself. The only time she'd ever seen Kyp before today was at her brother Brodey's wedding. He'd totally impressed her at first glance and she'd been totally smitten with him for the longest time, but she was just a dumb kid back then. She was older now, and more mature. She didn't have any feelings for the man. She saw him in a new light, as a forty year old jedi master, someone who was twice her age. He was almost old enough to be her father. Of course, he still was just as handsome as he'd been four years ago. Perhaps even more so.  
  
'Denial,' The echo of her brother's voice replayed in her head.  
  
'Oh, shut up!' She thought back, forcing it out of her mind as she went back to unpacking. 


	4. Valin

Li'aania's stomach growled fiercely as it churned in hungry protest. A quick glance at her chronometer told her that she still had a substantial wait before the midday meal was served. She thought about how her father had offered her a basket of food to take with her on her trip. Thinking about the food back home and how she'd refused her father's offer only made her homesickness worse. She found herself blinking back tears for the second time that morning but she stubbornly forced them back. She had a job to do and she wasn't going to let being away from home for the first time sabotage it.  
  
Li'aa stepped back to admire her progress. The room was beginning to look less like a dungeon cell and more like the room of a young woman barely out of her teens. The walls were decorated with hangings that depicted some of her favorite DJs and performers. There was even one of Brodey smiling back at her as he instinctively manipulated the decks. Come to think of it, the entire room seemed like a shrine to her. It was a shrine to a life that seemed ancient history. She frowned slightly as she realized that the room she saw, in all likelihood, was not the finished product. Some things would have to go.  
  
However, she was much too exhausted to care. It had been a long, restless journey and she fell back onto the bed, hoping to convince her stomach that sleep was a better idea than food. At almost the same instant as her head hit the pillow she fell into a dreamless sleep. When she finally awoke it seemed much later and, strangely enough, there was a figure standing in her doorway.  
  
"Hey," She said sleepily as she rubbed her eyes until she could see clearly. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" The young man responded, surprise rippling from him. "I was just passing by and was curious about who lived here, that's all."  
  
"That's fine," She said softly as she slid off the bed and walked up to him. "You didn't answer my question. Who are you?"  
  
"Valin Horn, at your service," He replied with a crooked smile and a slight bow. As his head came back up she got her first good look at his face. His features, like the rest of him, were sharp and solid. The most striking ones were his shaggy mass of gold-flecked brown hair, the warm hazel eyes that peered out from behind long, dark eyelashes, and his straight white teeth. Li'aa couldn't help but find him attractive even though he was more than half a head shorter than she.  
  
"Well Valin, it's nice to meet you," She said, returning his smile. "I'm Li'aa Narundi."  
  
"Force, you're Brodey's sister! I should have known," He exclaimed and then blushed slightly at his own outburst. "You know, the blond hair. You look a lot like him, and I mean that in a good way."  
  
"Thank you," She said as she watched him squirm. "Oh sith!"  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked in alarm.  
  
"I think I just missed meal time," She groaned. "Slept right through it."  
  
Valin frowned, looking up to the right at something on her ceiling as he thought. "We could probably still find something for you to eat. Come on, I'll go with you."  
  
Her stomach grumbled again, telling her to go with him, and she nodded, following the young man out into the open corridors of the temple.  
  
"Are you enjoying your stay here so far?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, I guess. It's my first time away from home," She said softly.  
  
"If you ever need anything, feel free to ask," He offered. "It's never fun when it's your first time away from home."  
  
"Thanks, that means a lot to me," She said, her face heating up slightly as she beamed at him. Inside her head she felt her thoughts roiling as she became confused about her feelings toward this young man. Sure, he was attractive on the outside, but was she really attracted to him in a more than physical sense? Her stomach reminded her that such things were less important than sustenance.  
  
"This is where we eat. It's sort of a dining hall but we also train here," He explained. "And you're in luck. They still have some of the main course left over."  
  
Li'aa made a face as he handed her a bowl of grayish mush that looked completely void of any flavor. She tried her best to look interested in the food as she stirred it with the utensil he'd handed her.  
  
"You don't have to pretend to like it. It's really not good for anything else besides keeping you alive," He said, sensing her indecision. "Your brother actually cared for this dish because the texture wasn't that offensive. He couldn't taste a thing, of course."  
  
"I wouldn't think so," Li'aa laughed, noting the lack of taste as she took a small spoonful. After a couple spoonfuls the taste of the meal ceased to matter. She was ravenous and she found herself going up for seconds and thirds.  
  
"Told you it wasn't that bad," Valin chuckled as he watched her eat.  
  
"No, I guess not," She admitted with a grin.  
  
"There you are!"  
  
Li'aa twisted her neck around to see Kyp walking quickly toward them, a curious expression on his face.  
  
"I've been looking all over for you," He explained. "You're late for your first training session."  
  
"I'm sorry, Kyp," She stammered in embarrassment as she got up from the table. "I overslept but I'll get right over there."  
  
"All right, I'm coming with you," Kyp said eagerly. "I wouldn't miss a chance to watch another Narundi give a first lesson in combat skills. The last one I witnessed was. . .amusing, to say the least."  
  
"Lets get over there, then," Li'aa said with a wink and then turned back to Valin. "Thanks for helping me out, Valin."  
  
"Yeah, no problem," Valin said, extending his hand to her. "Nice to meet you. Hope to see you around again."  
  
"I'm sure I will," She said, shaking his hand firmly. "Nice meeting you too."  
  
Li'aa turned around quickly to race after Kyp, who was already halfway to the clearing where a number of students waited impatiently for their next lesson. Little did they know that they were in for a real treat. 


	5. The Duel

The sandy clearing was chock-full of young jedi students, most of them under the age of twelve. Some chatted with others and fidgeted with long blades of grass. Others engaged in peaceful meditation. For many of the students this was their first official lesson in combat skills and lightsaber techniques. They all dealt with their nerves in a manner that best suited them. It was easy to see a lot about each child's personality by observing the way they handled stress. Just a quick glance gave Li'aa all the first hand information she'd need.  
  
"Quiet down!" Kyp called over the noisy chatter. After a few seconds the sounds stopped and thirty sets of eyes stared back at him. "I finally found your instructor, so stop hitting each other on the heads with practice lightsabers - Aurora - and listen up!"  
  
A small dark-haired girl in the front row looked quickly down at her bare feet and muffled her snickering with one hand. A boy with hair a few shades darker and the same complexion sat to her right, trying to ignore her and act studious.  
  
'Relatives,' Li'aa noted with an inward smile, recalling the kind of squabbles she and Ericho used to have when adults' backs were turned.  
  
"Can somebody tell me why you're all here?" She asked the entire group as she walked around to look at them all.  
  
A few bold children spoke up first with the words, "lightsaber training". The rest of the kids in the group were quick to follow their lead.  
  
"Very good," Li'aa said with an approving nod. "And why do you need lightsaber training?"  
  
This time Li'aa pointed to the girl in the front that had been pestering her brother. The girl, Aurora, flinched from being called on but was quick to deliver an answer.  
  
"For defense," She answered hesitantly in a low voice.  
  
"Exactly," Li'aa emphasized. "A jedi always uses his weapon in self- defense, never for attack. Who can name another weapon that a jedi has?"  
  
An exuberant boy's hand shot quickly up into the air. "Jedi mind control!"  
  
Li'aania glanced meaningfully over in Kyp's direction. "Yes, mind control can be a very powerful technique for those that have the gift. However, there is a thin line between a slight influence on another and forcing them to do your will. That line must never be crossed, for the latter is of the dark side. Are there any others that you know about?"  
  
"Force lightning!" A smaller blond girl from the back of the group chirped.  
  
"Ah yes. Let's talk about this for a second. A jedi's ability to channel lightning out the fingertips is one that is commonly associated with the dark side. I must tell you that not all uses of this are of the dark side. It depends on the user's mindset. However, when used as a weapon it is most certainly of the dark side. Therefore we will not cover it in this course. Any others?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"All right then. You all are forgetting the most fundamental weapon that a jedi has. It's the reason why so many jedi masters of old never carried a lightsaber. Can anybody venture a guess?" She asked inquiringly.  
  
"The mind," Aurora's dark-haired brother muttered in a quiet voice that was hard to hear.  
  
"Very good! I can tell you've been paying attention in your classes," Li'aa exclaimed with a grin, making the boy blush slightly. "So, a jedi has his lightsaber, his mind, and one more thing. Anyone?"  
  
"His body," Kyp added as he sensed where she was taking the lesson and wanted to help things along.  
  
"Thank you, Kyp," She said mockingly, throwing a roll of tacky tape at him that she had in her jumpsuit pocket. "You win a prize!"  
  
Kyp looked over his "prize" and pretended to be very interested in it.  
  
"These three things, lightsaber, mind and body, are the focal points of your education in combat skills and lightsaber training. You will learn how to use your weapons and, most importantly, when to use them," Li'aa said and then paused for a second, letting her words sink in. The only sounds that could be heard for a distance were the chirps of piranha beetles in search of a mid-afternoon meal.  
  
"Kyp, if you don't mind, I'd like you to help me demonstrate the first lesson," Li'aa said cheerfully, breaking the silence.  
  
Kyp shuddered, dreading the reason for her cheerfulness. The first and last time he ever volunteered to demonstrate anything for her older brother left him physically sore for a day or two. A small hunch told him that this could be worse.  
  
"What exactly do you need me to do?" He asked cautiously as he scratched the back of his neck.  
  
"I just need you to come at me with your lightsaber ignited," She answered simply, the pleasant smile still on her face. She shrugged off her cloak and tossed it to the edge of the clearing as Kyp's apprehension skyrocketed.  
  
"How do I know that you're not going to skewer me with my own lightsaber?" He joked nervously.  
  
"Kyp, this is only a demonstration. I promise that you'll leave here with minimal pain," She laughed in that musical way that agitated the very core of his being. For a short moment he thought he might crumple there before everyone but quickly dismissed it as passing nerves. He wasn't about to let another Narundi get the best of him without a fight.  
  
"So, what do I do? Just charge straight at you brandishing my weapon wildly?" He questioned, glancing at his lightsaber like he didn't know how it worked.  
  
"Yup, just like that," She agreed as she readied herself for his attack. "Attack me."  
  
"Has she gone space happy?" The dark-haired boy whispered, elbowing his sister to get her attention. "Doesn't she know how good of a fighter Uncle Kyp is?"  
  
"Shhhh, just watch! I think I remember Uncle Brodey giving this demonstration!" She murmured back.  
  
"You're too young to remember when Uncle Brodey was teaching!" Her brother hissed in annoyance.  
  
"Nuh-uh!" She insisted huffily, looking back at the mock battle where Li'aa had Kyp on the ground with an arm pinned behind his back.  
  
"Did you see how I did that take-down?" Li'aa asked the entire group. "The key is using his energy against him and using his arm to whip him down into the ground. His lightsaber was knocked clear of his body and he's pretty much subdued at this point."  
  
"Pretty much?" Kyp groaned. "I think you may have dislocated my shoulder!"  
  
"Still, you're probably not going to resist much after this, are you?" Li'aa asked playfully, patting him on the top of the head.  
  
"Nope," He mumbled, closing his eyes as if he was asleep. "I'm just going to stay right here and get a tan."  
  
"Sorry Kyp," She chided as she hauled him to his feet by his good arm. "We still have some demonstrating to do. I just have one little hint for you for next time. Don't run at me so fast. Slower motion is fine. It helps them see things better."  
  
"Yes ma'am," Kyp responded dutifully while rubbing his sore shoulder.  
  
"Now, watch this next move," She instructed, motioning for Kyp to come at her again. The jedi master trotted uneasily toward her as she stood in ready position. "I'm going to wait until he gets close enough," She explained as she rolled onto her back once Kyp was an arm's length away from her and planted her foot firmly against his abdomen. The coupling of their energies sent him flying to the other side of the clearing and he grunted as he tucked and rolled right into a tree.  
  
"You see what I did there? It doesn't matter that I weigh less than Kyp or that I'm of smaller stature," She said loudly so that everybody could hear her. "I'm here to tell you that any of you could defeat a full-grown adult with the proper training."  
  
"Will any of us ever be able to defeat you?" The boy in the front row asked boldly.  
  
"Oh, definitely," Li'aa nodded seriously. "In fact, you all have to defeat me in order to pass this course."  
  
A cacophony of groans, complaints, and outrage rippled through the small gathering as the children discussed the seemingly impossible odds of passing.  
  
"Relax," She assured them. "I'm not going to be as hard on you as I was on Kyp. Plus, you'll know what I'm going to do in advance. If you practice, you'll be fine."  
  
"You know, you could be nice and warn me the next time you're going to throw me right into a tree," Kyp hinted with a wink as he rubbed his back.  
  
Li'aa made a thoughtful face for a second but then the bright white smile was back. "That's not any fun, Kyp! My brother told me that you might need a refresher course in all of this. I'm just trying to be helpful!"  
  
Kyp smirked as he exhaled sharply. "Yeah, some help!" He muttered.  
  
"You want me to show them some advanced moves?" She threatened, still flashing a grin that looked startlingly like her brother's. Kyp was beginning to wonder just how different this young woman was from his former apprentice. All evidence pointed to her being a clone of Brodey, and that wasn't necessarily a good thing from his perspective.  
  
"No, I think we should stick to the basics," He sighed, dusting some dirt off the sleeve of his tunic.  
  
"Fine by me," She said with a shrug as she set herself to demonstrate the next move she had planned for him.  
  
The rest of the hour-long session was full of painful lessons on sweeps, throws, and force defenses. The only things that saved Kyp were Brodey's lessons on how to fall properly. Even those didn't save him when he ran, knowingly, right into a force wall. He didn't want to limp around for the rest of the day; He had enough trouble getting around with the onset of arthritis in his knees. However, he reasoned that it was important that the children saw such techniques and the effects of using them.  
  
Kyp exhaled in relief when she asked the children to break off into groups. He marveled at the number of places he could feel pain in his body at the same time. His hair hung in limp, sweaty strands around his face as he doubled over in exhaustion. He definitely wasn't a kid anymore.  
  
"More like a crotchety, old man. Am I right?" A voice asked slyly.  
  
"I'm feeling older by the day," Kyp admitted to the older jedi master.  
  
"Wait until you hit fifty," Luke chuckled. "Then you'll really begin to notice."  
  
"Every pain-free day is a blessing," Kyp answered wistfully. He yearned for anything that could take away the sting from the beat-down he'd just experienced.  
  
"Well, just don't start believing you're an old man," Luke advised. "You're only as old as you feel."  
  
"You're starting to sound a little like Han," Kyp joked as he pinched together a cut that was trickling blood on his elbow.  
  
"It comes with age," Luke said with a wink and a knowing smile.  
  
"Master Skywalker, how nice of you to join us!" Li'aa called happily in greeting. "I was just showing the children and Kyp a few new moves in hand- to-hand combat."  
  
"So I've heard," Luke stated with a pleased smile as he sat back and observed the young children who were practicing the throws she'd taught them. "How is your first day of work coming along?"  
  
"It's great, really. I just, um, kind of slept through the beginning of this lesson," She admitted regretfully. "I think I may need to cut it a bit short today. It's a shame. I was looking forward to having more fun with Kyp!"  
  
Li'aa shot him a wicked grin as she finished her sentence and he responded with a smug smile. Anything that would keep her away from him so he could heal was a good thing.  
  
"Well, it's partially my fault," Luke conceded with a slight bow of his head. "I shouldn't have scheduled your first lesson so close to your arrival. You traveled a long way."  
  
Li'aa nodded, returning his bow. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, I must get back to my students."  
  
"How does she look to you?" Luke asked, throwing Kyp for a loop.  
  
"Are you talking about on the outside or the way she teaches?" Kyp joked sardonically.  
  
"As a teacher," Luke said with narrowed eyes, a hint of paternal warning in his voice. Kyp remembered, a little too late, that Luke and Li'aania's father were fairly close friends.  
  
"Very good. Very thorough," Kyp said, his muscles still burning noticeably from the workout. "The way she teaches reminds me of Brodey's methods. It's a very hands-on approach."  
  
"That's the way they were taught," Luke muttered. "We teach what we know."  
  
"True," Kyp said with a nod. "Still, I had no idea that their training was this rigorous."  
  
"Everybody, stop what you're doing and gather around me!" Li'aa yelled over the laughing and shouting of the kids as they practiced. "I'm sure that you're all eager to learn more, but my chronometer says that it's time for the evening meal."  
  
"When do we get to fight with lightsabers?" Whined a sandy-haired boy from the middle of the group. A few of the other children nodded in agreement while others rolled their eyes at his outburst.  
  
"Not today," She answered clearly. "Maybe in a week, if you're good."  
  
Li'aa smiled to herself as she felt the collective attitude of the group plummet to the ground. She knew it was difficult for them to hear, since their image of a jedi always came with a blazing lightsaber, but they would have to learn that there was more to being a jedi than swordsmanship.  
  
"Before you can begin your training with a lightsaber you must first become a master of your own body. Learn your limits. Learn what kinds of things you can accomplish without the use of a lightsaber," She explained as she held out her hands. "All right, you're dismissed," She muttered, looking at her chronometer.  
  
The children raced off down the dirt path that led back to the temple, leaving the three adults behind to take a slower trip back.  
  
"So Kyp, how are you holding up?" She asked with a hint of mockery.  
  
"Better than you'd expect," He shot back, lying through his teeth. "I did feel a hint of nostalgia when you were pounding me into the ground. You fight just like your brother."  
  
"That's funny," She chortled. "Just realize that I'm nothing like that piece of work. I, for one, am not insane. Just because we look alike doesn't mean we are alike."  
  
"Heh. That sounds like a rehearsed speech. You must get that a lot," Kyp taunted eagerly.  
  
"Durron, I think I understand why you and my brother became such good friends," She groaned, giving him a small shove. "You're both so incredibly annoying!"  
  
"I aim to please," He chuckled as he pushed her right back. 


	6. Food Fight

"Hey, wait up you guys!" A high pitched voice yelled from behind them.  
  
The three masters looked back over their shoulders to see four of the children from the class sprinting toward them.  
  
"Ben," Luke said, greeting his nine-year-old son as the boy caught up with him. "How come you and your cousins aren't up with the others?"  
  
"Raine took my practice saber and threw it into the brush," Ben admitted shamefacedly. "Cherith gave him a good punch in the stomach for it."  
  
"Now Cherith," Luke chided. "What have I told you about hitting others?"  
  
The dark-haired girl, who happened to look nearly identical to the one walking back on her other side, frowned at the jedi master's scolding. She glanced over to Kyp, looking for help. "Uncle Kyp, he really deserved it this time!" She whined, her wide green eyes pleading with him.  
  
"Don't look at me for help when you know you did something wrong!" Kyp cried, shaking his head at her. "I'm not even your real uncle. You listen to your Uncle Luke when he says no hitting."  
  
The young girl pouted as she hung her head sadly. Li'aa smiled slightly as she remembered the number of times when Ch'aanlei and her father had to tell her to stop hitting her brother. It wasn't a good thing for a child so young to be violent, but a little sibling rivalry never hurt her.  
  
"I told you so! No hitting!" The girl Kyp had called Aurora chimed in, and she was rewarded with a "drop dead" glare from her twin sister.  
  
"Dad, isn't there something you can do about Raine?" Ben asked, frowning slightly as he thought hard on the problem. "Can you please ask Kyp to zap him with force lightning? Pretty please?"  
  
"Ben!" Luke exclaimed in an appalled voice as he stared attentively at his son. "I can't believe you're plotting revenge! I'd hope you would have better judgment than that!"  
  
"I know! I'm just kidding," Ben said, trailing off. "I just wish there was something you could do so he'd leave us alone."  
  
"You could always ignore him," Li'aa suggested. "That always worked with my brother. After a while he just got bored."  
  
"Raine doesn't get bored from picking on us," Aurora explained. "He says that we're three times the fun, all because Cherith can't keep her hands or her mouth to herself!"  
  
"That's not true!" Cherith yelled adamantly. "I remember you saying something nasty to him a few days ago!"  
  
"Only because he grabbed your arm and left a mark after you swung at him!" Her sister argued back.  
  
"You both are crazy," The dark-haired boy muttered softly as he shook his head in a similar fashion to his Uncle Luke.  
  
"Anakin, they're just upset," Luke assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to call them names because of it."  
  
"I'm just sick of getting picked on because of them," Anakin said intensely.  
  
"Well, then do something to make them stop reacting to this bully," Li'aa suggested. "Something non-violent, of course."  
  
"Of course," Anakin nodded, calming down a bit. "I'm not into hitting people like these two!"  
  
"Nuh-uh! Cherith is the only one that hits people, Ani!" Aurora cried defensively.  
  
"Auri, I'm not in the mood to argue about this," Her brother warned her. "I just want to eat dinner. That's all!"  
  
"I agree with the kid," Kyp said, patting his stomach. "All that running around has me famished!"  
  
"I wonder what the food-processing droids cooked up for us tonight," Cherith said in an excited murmur.  
  
'Probably more tasteless mush,' Li'aa considered, but Kyp was right. All the running around did make one hungry. She was ready to eat an entire rancor even though she ate only an hour earlier.  
  
"You know," Kyp whispered, leaning over close to her ear. "We recently upgraded the features on the processors. Now they produce meals that might be more to your tastes."  
  
"Really," Li'aa said, grinning happily. "Thank you for telling me about that. Not that the flavorless mush of the day wasn't wonderful."  
  
Kyp snorted slightly from her comment on the food. "I'm glad you liked it. You'll definitely like the newer food even more. It was so spicy that it nearly blistered my tongue when I tried it!"  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that," She giggled, hiding her grin behind her hand. "N'aanwarians don't really cook with humans in mind."  
  
"Now she tells me!" He groaned back.  
  
"Didn't Brodey let you try it when you visited for his wedding?" She asked with curious interest.  
  
"He made my food mild and told me never to try anything that he referred to as authentic N'aanwarian cuisine," Kyp explained as he pushed the buttons on the machine and caught the grey mush in a bowl as it came out.  
  
"Heh, I guess my brother can be mature from time to time," She considered, looking surprised. "You still went against his advice and tried it?"  
  
"I never claimed that I had common sense," Kyp pointed out, laughing as she tried to operate the machine but only made a huge mess out of the counter.  
  
"I guess not," She responded slyly.  
  
"So, what have you been up to since you unleashed my brother into the galaxy four years ago?" She asked as they sat down across from one another at a table in the center of the great hall.  
  
"Unleashed?" Kyp questioned, raising an eyebrow at her. "Don't tell me he's been misbehaving!"  
  
"Well, he's been preaching the ideas of democracy to the people," She snorted, giving him an uncomfortable grin. "I guess it depends on your cultural standpoint. Father thinks he's misbehaving."  
  
"I'm sure he does!" Kyp exclaimed. "Your family's enjoyed over a thousand generations of dynastic rule, am I right?"  
  
"You are correct on that," Li'aa stated, slapping her hand down on the table. "But along comes my visionary brother and all hell breaks loose!"  
  
"You can blame that on his little visit to this galaxy," Kyp laughed. "If he hadn't been here during a period of war then he might not have truly appreciated what it meant to have freedom."  
  
Li'aa leaned back in her seat, staring at him warily. "Just because the people of your galaxy have one or two experiences where democracy came out on top doesn't mean that it's a superior form of government," She said, slightly annoyed.  
  
"There's a reason why my family stayed in power since the beginning of N'aawarian society, and it's not because we murdered all the opposition."  
  
"Ok, so your family murdered only some of the opposition," Kyp condeded and was rewarded with an icy glare.  
  
"Not funny," She snapped, kicking him in the shin under the table.  
  
"Oh, and the ones that didn't were assassinated," Kyp added and then threw his hands up in defense as she took a swipe at him. "Hey, this is straight from the nerf's mouth! Your brother told me all about your family."  
  
"Did he tell you about my great-grandfather?" Li'aa asked slyly.  
  
"I don't believe so," Kyp said thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "Care to enlighten me?"  
  
"Maybe some other time," She giggled, grinning widely in an almost evil fashion. "It's a long story. One that can't be told well with food in your mouth. But I will tell you that he holds the record for executing traitors to the crown."  
  
"Sounds like a nice guy," Kyp jeered with a smirk. "Is he still living?"  
  
"What do you think?" She asked while biting her lower lip. "Once people caught on that he was nothing but a tyrant the attempts on his life began. It was only a matter of time before he got the boot."  
  
"Have any members of your family ever ousted one another for the throne?" Kyp asked curiously.  
  
"I'll bet they have," Li'aa admitted, cocking her head to the side. "I don't know of any specifics, except that my father was dethroned by my uncle for a number of years. He didn't kill him, but I imagine that some of my ancestors have killed each other for power. It's not something that they teach in N'aanwarian history," She added with a chuckle.  
  
"I'm sure that they wouldn't allow it," Kyp said, nodding in comprehension. "Brodey told me that your family is so closed off from the public that your father went ballistic the first time he made headlines."  
  
"Well, when the crown prince trashes a bar with some of his hoodlum friends then it tends to grab people's attention," She cried, laughing harder. "Brodey was always a handful for my father. They always were screaming and sometimes they'd even come to blows with each other. I just remember hearing it when I was little. My brother and I would crouch down at the top of the stairs and listen in on their conversation until somebody would catch us and send us back to bed."  
  
"That's horrible," Kyp whispered, suddenly feeling pity for her. "I can't even imagine what that must have been like for you."  
  
"Spare me," She said sardonically. "I grew up in the lap of luxury and nobody was ever violent toward me. Brodey was always a kind and supportive older brother even though he was a poor role model, a drunk, and on bad terms with my father."  
  
"It still must have been a nightmare," He gushed softly.  
  
"Not another word," She stated threateningly. "There are plenty of other people out there who deserve your sympathy more than a princess like me."  
  
"Fine, I'll shut up," He muttered, turning back to his food. He was in the middle of a mouthful when another question came to mind. "How is your brother?" He asked in a muffled voice.  
  
"He's fine," She said brightly. "Haven't had the chance to view that message I gave you?"  
  
"Not yet," He said, shaking his head. "I've been running around all day."  
  
"Well, that should tell you all you need to know, except for one thing I just found out earlier today," Li'aa explained.  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"They're going to have another baby," She said cheerfully with a twinkle of delight in her eyes.  
  
Kyp snorted once in amazement. "Those two breed like ewoks!"  
  
"That's what I said, but I guess that they want a large family," She shrugged. "Who am I to complain? I'm going to be an aunt again!"  
  
"That's definitely-" He began before a loud crash from the other side of the room drew their attention.  
  
"Give it back, you big jerk!" Cherith screeched at the top of her lungs as she lunged for her bowl of dessert.  
  
"What's the magic word?" The tall boy known as Raine sneered back. He idly lifted the bowl just out of reach with every frustrated jump the smaller girl made.  
  
"Gimme!" She screamed, catching him by surprise and swiftly punching him in his unguarded abdomen.  
  
"Cherith!" Kyp yelled forcefully as he jumped from his seat to intercept her before her fist collided with the boy a second time. She immediately recoiled as he grabbed her wrist and became more subdued. "What did I tell you about hitting other people?"  
  
"That it's bad?" She muttered back, not looking him in the eye.  
  
"And you shouldn't do it," Kyp added convincingly. "There are many other ways to resolve an argument."  
  
"What do you suggest?" Cherith asked defiantly, raising her voice to him.  
  
The conversation was interrupted by a furious wail coming from behind Kyp. They turned in the direction of the sound only to discover Raine standing there, his face red as an Imperial Guard's uniform with chocolate dessert dripping down over his eyes.  
  
"She flung that at me!" He bawled heatedly, his voice increasing in pitch until it almost cracked.  
  
"What?" Aurora asked innocently as Kyp shot her a dark look. "I resolved it peacefully," She said with a shrug.  
  
Kyp had almost opened his mouth with an answer when an equal amount of dessert flew through the air and landed right in the middle of Aurora's hair. The young girl looked like she was about to break down in tears, but instead of getting upset she grabbed a bowl of grey mush and decided to get even. The handful that she scooped from the bowl arched through the air and splattered all over the front of his uniform.  
  
"Aurora," Kyp said apprehensively as he spotted the other children gathering food to toss across the mess hall at each other. "Maybe you should have thought of a better way to deal with this situation."  
  
The entire room erupted in disarray as various types of food became airborne. Some of the bolder students took their chance to peg the others, while the rest, including Kyp, sought shelter under the tables.  
  
"Having a little trouble doing your job?" Li'aa teased as she suddenly popped up by his side.  
  
"Hey, don't forget that it's your job too!" He protested, poking her in the shoulder as he tried to avoid flying runyip stew.  
  
"I just started today!" She yelled back. "Maybe you've forgotten that I had almost a whole standard day's worth of travel before I got here!"  
  
"You're still here to do your job," Kyp pointed out. "Now, there's a food fight going on out there and there aren't any adults to break things up. What do you say we go and put an end to all of this?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me," Li'aa sighed wearily as he looked down at her jumpsuit and imagined it encrusted with food.  
  
"I told you that hitting was a good way to resolve things," Cherith said in a know-it-all voice as she poked her head under the table to look at them. Kyp simply frowned disapprovingly back at her.  
  
"Everybody, hold- " Kyp managed to yell before grey mush engulfed his face. He scraped his fingers across his eyes, struggling to see again before the next projectile came his way. A high-pitched shriek to his left told him of Li'aa's similar circumstances. He'd turned his head to look at her through the eye holes in his food mask when another clump of food hit him square between the eyes.  
  
Kyp fought once again to clear the food from around his eyes. When they finally focused on Li'aa he discovered that she was stifling a laugh with one pudding-covered hand. Something clicked inside his head and he reached for the nearest plate, grabbing a large handful of casserole and chucking it back at her.  
  
Li'aa gaped at the casserole as it slithered down her front and then turned her open-mouthed look up at the older jedi master. Her wide-open mouth gradually closed to form a smirk as she sprung into action, grabbing a bowl of greens, walking up to him, and turning it upside down on top of his head in one deft motion.  
  
From that point on there was no going back. The two reached for whatever they could find and threw it at each other, attempting to be the first to cover the other from head to toe.  
  
"How do you think this hawkbat pot pie would look as a hat?" He asked slyly, grinning as he smooshed it down on her head and made sure that a nice coating covered her hair.  
  
"Probably about as good as this grey stuff would look as underwear," She said mischievously while pulling the neck of his jumpsuit out so she could stuff a handful inside. Kyp yelped in violated surprise as he felt the cold mush slide down his back.  
  
"You!" He shouted complainingly at her, shaking his head as she looked at him proudly.  
  
"What about me?" She laughed, admiring his perturbed appearance. He looked like a fosh who'd just had his feathers ruffled. "What are you going to do to me, Durron? Remember, hitting people is wrong!"  
  
"Yeah, Uncle Kyp!" Cried a food-covered creature from the other side of Li'aa. "Hitting people isn't a good way to deal with conflict, remember?"  
  
"I'm not going to hit you," He sighed, offering her a handshake of truce. "I'm just going to return the favor."  
  
Kyp moved his other hand to the back of her jumpsuit's collar and pulled while he summoned the bowl of stew she'd been eating into his hand with the force. The jumpsuit barely stretched so he gave it another tug. Still nothing.  
  
"Having trouble?" She asked sweetly. "Need my help?"  
  
"Yeah. If you could change into something a little less tight then it might just help!" He growled critically.  
  
"Is that so?" She questioned darkly, the smile evaporating from her face. "Well, Mr. Fashion Police, you can take your opinion of my outfit and stuff it right where that grey mush is located!"  
  
Kyp began laughing before he realized she was actually serious. Stuffing his opinion where the grey mush was would have been lenient compared to the scorching pain that shot through his eyes and nasal membranes when the stew came in contact with his face. He doubled over and crouched down into a squat, unable to make a sound through the agony.  
  
"Kyp!" She gasped, legitimately shaken by the sudden turn of events. "Oh gods, Kyp! I'm so sorry!"  
  
"It's going to be a while before his sense of smell returns. I did what I could with the chemical burns, and he should be seeing clearly before the end of the day, but the rest is all up to him," Hamysh Renton, the Academy's jedi healer, said as he looked up at the small gathering of people around Kyp's prostrate form.  
  
"Is he going to be blind?" Cherith asked, a pitiful expression on her face as she poked her head in between the taller adults to look at her Uncle Kyp.  
  
"It's only temporary, Cherith," Luke said softly, patting the girl reassuringly on the shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, I can see some things already," Kyp said hoarsely, coughing as speech irritated the burned areas in the back of his nasal passages.  
  
"Kyp, I just wanted to say again that I'm so sorry about all of this," Li'aa gushed apologetically, reaching out to take hold of his hand.  
  
"Li'aa, for the thousandth time, it's okay," He sighed as he looked up at the blonde-haired blur and squeezed her hand. "I just think it's time for me to go back to my room and get some rest."  
  
"Definitely," Luke agreed, glancing at his chronometer. "Kyp, I'll make sure that your classes are covered tomorrow in case you need more recovery time."  
  
"Thank you, Master Skywalker," Kyp said with a somber nod before pushing his aching body upright on the thin medbay cot. He cringed, wishing that he'd asked Hamysh to do him a small favor and heal the many bruises that now covered his body. However, being able to see again was a welcome gift. He'd have to deal with the bruises on his own.  
  
"Need any help getting back to your room?" Li'aa asked, tossing her blurry blonde hair back over her shoulder and observing the pain he was going through as he tried to get to his feet. The others had already left, leaving just the two of them and Hamysh in the room.  
  
"I'm blind, not crippled, thank you," He snapped, trying to sound annoyed by her offer. Secretly, hidden deep down inside his soul where nobody could see, he enjoyed having her around him. He just wasn't ready to admit it.  
  
"Well, your mobility isn't too impressive either," She scolded, pursing her lips together as she offered him both of her hands. Kyp gratefully accepted and she pulled him to his feet, slipping an arm around his waist to support him.  
  
"I don't need THAT much help," He complained, but the uneasiness on his feet when she released him told her otherwise.  
  
"Kyp, do me a favor," Hamysh groaned as he turned off the equipment in the medbay. "Let her help you. I don't need any more work for tonight."  
  
Li'aa's arm resumed its place around the small of his back as she escorted him out the door into the long breezeway. The spicy scent of the jungle's flora carried on the gentle night breeze, catching her nose as it wafted by. She cast a sidelong glance at Kyp, feeling sorry for him for so many reasons. He wouldn't be able to smell anything, and therefore taste anything, for a while, and sometime in between class and the medbay he'd developed a limp. All of it was her fault, of course, because she never seemed to think that far in advance. She didn't consider the fact that he was older, and therefore was less likely to heal after taking a beating. Not to mention that if she'd had any foresight whatsoever she would have known that the food she threw in his face would hurt him.  
  
"Stop beating yourself up over all of this," He ordered softly. "I'm not such a crotchety old man that I can't heal from this in a day or so."  
  
"I know, but if I wasn't so stupid- "  
  
"Stop," He warned, his voice increasing in pitch at the end of the word. "I don't want to sense any more negative thoughts coming from you. Look on the bright side. It was a great food fight while it lasted."  
  
"Yeah, you're right," She giggled melodically, a smile slowly returning to her face as her eyes sparked mischievously. "Did you ever get the grey mush out of your pants?"  
  
"No, but that's first on my agenda once you get me back to my room," He muttered, pretending to be cross with her. She easily saw through it and laughed aloud at his expression.  
  
"You'll get your chance real soon, so don't worry," Li'aa said while concentrating on getting him down a small flight of stairs. After that it was just a short walk along another breezeway to his door.  
  
"Thank you, m'lady," He said formally with a small bow before he limped his way inside.  
  
"You're welcome, Kyp. Goodnight," She said simply, closing the door behind her as she left.  
  
Li'aa stood with her back to the door and her eyes closed. Heaving a sigh of frustration, she slid down into a sitting position on the flagstone floor. She was doing it again. She'd been around him for less than a day and already she felt like the same giddy seventeen-year-old with a crush on a handsome, older stranger. It was ridiculous. She plainly knew that any relationship they might forge was destined for ruin. So why couldn't she stop thinking about him?  
  
"I need clarity," She whispered to herself, standing up again and brushing herself off. She knew just the place to go. 


	7. Transmissions

Li'aa shook her head in frustration as her eyelids slowly fluttered open. It just   
wasn't working. She couldn't concentrate on meditation with her mind so crammed full   
of distractions.  
  
"So much for finding clarity," She whispered gloomily, getting up from her seat   
atop a large, flat rock at the edge of a ravine. Her brother had recommended the spot from   
his short stay on the jungle moon. Despite the great view, it wasn't doing much for her.   
She'd have to work out her problems in a different way.  
  
********************************************  
  
Kyp groaned, struggling to roll over as the comm chirped persistently. He reached   
out with the force to push the transmission button as the sound grew too annoying to   
bear. Whoever was dumb enough to contact him this late at night would be getting a good   
talking to.  
  
"This better be good," He commented, grunting as he shoved himself up into a   
sitting position.  
  
"Gods, Kyp! What the sith happened to you?" A familiar voice exclaimed with a   
hint of amusement.  
  
"Brodey," Kyp acknowledged. "The only monarch I know who doesn't observe   
and respect the time differences between our two locations!"  
  
"I know it's late, but I figured you'd still be up," Brodey chuckled. "You still   
didn't answer my question. What happened to you?"  
  
"Well, I've been struggling for the past two hours to find a part of me that doesn't   
hurt to lie on," Kyp remarked. "See, somewhere in between the ass-kicking of the century   
and the stew heard 'round the world I began to get a little sore."  
  
"Oh no, don't tell me," Brodey moaned in disbelief. "Li'aa did all of that?"  
  
Kyp nodded slowly, trying to move as little as possible in the process.  
  
"What did she do to you? And what's the stew heard 'round the world?" Brodey   
cried.  
  
"This is going to take a while."  
  
**********************************************  
  
"Sweetheart! How was your first day of work?" J'aa'nalia Narundi asked, a   
pleasant smile on her face.  
  
"Not too great, actually," Li'aania answered hesitantly as she forced an uneasy   
smile. "That's why I contacted you."  
  
"Oh," Her mother said softly, the smile fading. "All right, what went wrong?"  
  
"Everything!" Li'aa whined as she grabbed one of her pillows and hugged it   
tightly. "I've only been here a few hours and I've already managed to incapacitate one of   
the other jedi masters! Not on purpose, of course."  
  
"Of course not, honey," Her mother cooed reassuringly. "I know you wouldn't   
purposely try and hurt somebody!"  
  
"I know you know," Li'aania sighed. "But that always seems to be what happens   
when I'm given any sort of free reign over my own actions!"  
  
"Look at the alternative. You could have your father dictate your actions for the   
rest of your life," J'aa'nalia shrugged. "That's the way it used to be, back a few   
generations."  
  
"At least he'd keep me from getting into food fights with humans," Li'aa huffed,   
blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes.  
  
"I doubt you'd enjoy it as much as you think you would. You'd have no freedom   
to choose your mate."  
  
"Hey, do you see a possible mate within ten thousand light years of me? I think I   
inherited the Narundi bad luck in love," Li'aa grumbled.  
  
"Your father and brother had no such bad luck. It just seemed like bad luck   
because finding and then marrying the girl they loved was a long and arduous process,"   
Her mother explained.  
  
"Oh, I see. So after I suffer through a few rejections and let-downs, then I can   
finally have love?"  
  
"Something like that," J'aa'nalia laughed. "I think I can remember your brother   
saying the same thing to me."  
  
"Man, what's with everybody comparing me to Brodey today? I mean, I love my   
brother and all, but I'm nothing like him!"  
  
"I think you're more like him than you want to admit," Her mother replied with a   
sly smile.  
  
"Oh boy," Li'aa groaned, holding her head in frustration.  
  
************************************************  
  
"You have to forgive my sister, for she's lacking the part of the brain that tells   
you if something is a bad idea. She still feels bad about it afterward, but she can't seem to   
stop herself before she causes trouble," Brodey explained seriously.  
  
"Yeah, I know where she got that from," Kyp remarked snidely, the corner of his   
mouth curling up.  
  
"Certainly not from me!" Brodey scoffed. He tried his best to look appalled even   
though Kyp couldn't make out any of his facial features. "I always caused all of my   
mischief on purpose."  
  
"She still packs a bigger wallop than you ever did," Kyp mumbled painfully as he   
struggled to massage his stiff neck.  
  
"First off, she's a better fighter than I am. That's her one major area of expertise,   
as you'll soon probably find out. Second, I'm a good enough friend of yours to know   
your limits. I wouldn't purposely try and push those limits," The king informed him   
solemnly.  
  
"Not unless I really pissed you off, right?" Kyp chuckled, the familiar crooked   
smile returning to his face.  
  
"Nah, you never really pissed me off," Brodey said, dismissing him with an   
abrupt wave of his hand.  
  
"Not even that time when you decked me in the cantina?" Kyp asked with a   
smirk.  
  
"Well, I guess you kinda did that time," Brodey admitted, a guilty grin on his   
face.  
  
****************************************  
  
"I made a little bet with Ericho earlier today. I told him if he asked K'aatya out   
then I'd ask Kyp," Li'aa confessed, turning slightly red from ear to ear.  
  
"Ha! I would hope that Kyp wouldn't run away from the mere sight of you after   
today!" Her mother laughed mischievously.  
  
"Mother!" She yelled back in shock, her eyes going wide. "You're so   
supportive!"  
  
"You know how it is in our family," J'aa'nalia replied with a small smile.   
"Besides, I'm sure he'll get over it. You're too lovely a young lady for him to just   
completely ignore."  
  
"Oh stop it!" Li'aa sighed, rolling her eyes in disgust. "You act like every boy I   
run into can't help but fall madly in love with me. That's so not true!"  
  
"You're absolutely correct," Her mother acknowledged. "But that doesn't mean   
they don't want to have a little fling with you."  
  
"I am NOT having this discussion with you. You're my mother and you're evil   
and you're putting impure thoughts into my head," Li'aania cried in outrage, throwing   
her arms up in the air.  
  
"Quit being so melodramatic. I'm trying to boost your confidence. How else do   
you think you win a man's heart?" J'aa'nalia said reassuringly. "You know, just because   
I'm your mother doesn't mean you have to make believe your love life is tame."  
  
"Oh, I assure you, it's QUITE tame. As in it never existed!" Li'aa snapped,   
growing impatient.  
  
"Well, just between you and me, I think you should screw all the rules and do   
whatever you want. I never worried about what you might do as much as with your   
brother, and he still turned out okay."  
  
"I think you're forgetting that Brodey was a father at the age of twenty. I'd like to   
keep from having kids until the normal time, thank you," Li'aa said stubbornly.  
  
"Who said anything about having kids?" Her mother answered with a meaningful   
raise of one eyebrow.  
  
"I swear, the mid-life crisis must have permanently altered your way of thinking."  
  
"Glad to know my input is appreciated and not dismissed!" J'aa'nalia laughed   
warmly.  
  
***********************************************  
  
"Maybe my ears are doing funny things, Durron," Brodey commented wryly as   
one corner of his mouth curled up in defiance. "I didn't just hear you pursue my kid sister   
in a romantic manner."  
  
"First off, before you dispatch the assassins, I said nothing of the sort!" Kyp   
insisted. "I just asked if she was seeing anyone."  
  
"And I'm asking you why that would be any concern of yours. Unless, of course,   
you wanted to date her," Brodey said in a dark manner. Kyp could almost make out the   
frown on his face, even through the big blur.  
  
"I don't know, she just seems pretty lonely. I was wondering why a girl her age   
and of her status would want to work so far away from home. If she had a boyfriend, I   
mean," Kyp said with a gulp. Even he was beginning to doubt where his argument was   
headed. He guessed it was little more than a one-way ticket to trouble.  
  
"Not that it's any of your business, but she's never had a boyfriend to my   
knowledge," Brodey replied after a long, tense pause. "I still don't know why you care so   
much about this."  
  
"Ah well, you know me. I'll probably assume something incorrect about her one   
night at dinner and get my ass kicked," Kyp answered with a shrug.  
  
"Hey, not that you wouldn't deserve it," Brodey said with a smirk. "You know,   
she loves to lament about her horrible luck in love. If I didn't tell you then she probably   
would the next time she's feeling unfortunate."  
  
"Does she do that a lot?" Kyp asked, his brow knitting together in contemplation.   
"I mean, is she really, well, depressed?"  
  
"Eh, maybe," Brodey said without conviction. "But take a good look at my   
family. I mean, we've got quite a history of dark side and substance abuse problems. The   
mere fact that Li'aa stays away from drugs and alcohol is promising. If I could get out of   
the rut I was in then she'll be fine."  
  
"You think, huh?" Kyp contested.  
  
"Why, you have doubts?" Brodey asked, his anxiety level rising.  
  
"You two are different people, with different life experiences," Kyp explained. "If   
there's one thing I've learned from my fall, and from watching others fall and struggle to   
come back, it's that each person handles it differently. The one thing that everybody   
needs is support. Remember that I had the love and friendship of Han Solo, Jaina had Jag   
and me, and you had all of us. I don't think you would have made it if not for the sheer   
volume of people who reached out to help."  
  
Brodey was silent for a while as he considered this, scratching his chin as he   
thought. "You're right. It was a long, slow process, and I had a lot of help from all of   
you."  
  
"You can say that again," Kyp agreed. "So, about your sister. You want me to   
look out for her and make sure she's doing well?"  
  
The young king glanced at his friend with the suspicion that was second nature to   
a protective older brother. "Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this? Fine, Kyp,   
make sure my sister doesn't join any crazy jedi cult and commit suicide to please the   
gods."  
  
"Ok, I'll keep her from dating any guys who are wrong for her," Kyp said firmly.  
  
"That's not what I said!" Brodey muttered, his eyes narrowing slightly.  
  
"Oh, but you did!" Kyp challenged, throwing back his head with laughter. "Your   
highness, I hate to bring this discussion to a close, but I have some restless sleep to catch.   
I'll get back in touch with you sometime soon. Hopefully my sight and smell will have   
returned by that point."  
  
"Eh, goodnight, you big jerk," Brodey growled playfully. "Take care and watch   
yourself around my sister. I don't want anybody getting hurt."  
  
"You know Narundi, I can't tell if that was advice or a threat," Kyp said slyly.  
  
"Both," Brodey responded firmly before his image turned into static.  
  
*************************************************  
  
"So how's Daddy?" Li'aa asked as she pushed herself up onto the bed and sat   
cross-legged atop the fluffy pink comforter.   
  
"He's busy running around after grandkids, as always," Her mother responded with   
a smirk. "Whoever told him that his retirement would be quiet was obviously   
mistaken."  
  
"Why, are they giving him a hard time?" Li'aania asked with a satisfied grin.  
  
"Tell him the twins wouldn't be so bad all the time if their parents taught them   
how to behave."  
  
"Easy for you to say! You don't have any kids!" J'aa'nalia laughed heartily at   
her daughter, who proceeded to redden slightly in the face. "By the way, your   
father told me to remind you not to look at boys until you're at least twenty   
five years old. He feels that there are just too many little ones to take care   
of these days."  
  
"Sometimes I wonder who the mother is in this family," Li'aa commented, rolling   
her eyes.  
  
"Oh stop! All fathers want their daughters to steer clear of any man who's only   
looking to corrupt them and talk them out of their clothes," J'aa'nalia   
chuckled, a hint of scolding tingeing her voice.   
  
"Really?" Li'aa said flatly, cocking her head to one side. "And what do mothers   
think about that?"   
  
"Pfft! To hell with him!" Her mother laughed with a dismissive flip of her hand.   
"Like I said, I trust you. You're smart enough to know the good ones when you   
see them."  
  
"How do you know that if I've never dated?" Li'aania asked curiously.   
  
"It is because you've never dated that I know you have good taste," J'aa'nalia   
countered with a suggestive wink. "Have no fear, my dear. Some day your prince   
will come."  
  
"Gag me! Not that tired old line again," Li'aa groaned, shaking her head.   
  
"It's always that tired old line again, lest you forget what your wonderful,   
loving parents had to go through to be together. If we could do it then anything   
is possible."  
  
"Fine, I'll keep my options open," Li'aa sighed.  
  
"And that includes Kyp?" Her mother asked, that same annoying smile tugging at   
her painted lips.   
  
"Mother!" Li'aa protested, hell-bent on embarking on a long tirade. "Dad   
wouldn't appreciate that too much," was all she managed to get out.   
  
"I don't know. Your father seemed to take to him quite well when he was here for   
your brother's wedding."   
  
"You know that's only because he never thought in a million years that a   
mass-murderer twice my age would make a move on me," Li'aania criticized with   
her hands on her hips.   
  
"Think what you want, but I think your father and Kyp bonded," J'aa'nalia   
teased.   
  
"You're horrible."  
  
"Thanks, I know," Her mother responded lightly. "Well, little girl, it's about   
time for us old people to go make some lunch for the grandchildren."   
  
"Have fun," Li'aa said with a snort. "And don't let them boss you around too   
much!" Nik'aau screamed at the top of his lungs as if right on cue, calling his   
grandmother to the table.   
  
"Oh, the joys of being a grandparent," J'aa'nalia laughed, beaming proudly.  
  
"Take care, sweetheart. Love you, bye."   
  
"Love you too mom," Li'aania muttered contentedly just before the screen went   
black. 


	8. The Trouble

The following morning came all too quick for the bundle of pain and bruises that   
was Kyp. He reached out, half-asleep, to turn off his alarm, but his arm just wouldn't   
cooperate. His range of motion decreased significantly, Kyp stretched out with the force   
to remove the offending noise. Even that technique was rather fuzzy, much to his   
chagrin. It was as if somebody had come in the middle of the night and stolen twenty   
years from his life. Now, with the feeling of a baby ronto planted in the center of his   
chest, Kyp was seriously debating going into work for the first time in many years.  
  
With a little coaxing from the force he managed to slide stiffly out of bed and   
trudge toward the fresher. He hadn't made it halfway before the chirp of a comm   
transmission startled him out of his sleepy, throbbing haze.  
  
"Accept transmission," Kyp called out hoarsely, and he wasn't at all surprised to   
see Master Skywalker's face staring back at him with concern. "Yes, I made it out of   
bed."  
  
"That's good to hear. Looks like your sight came back as well," Luke commented   
observantly.  
  
"For the most part. You're still a little fuzzy around the edges," Kyp chuckled   
lightly. "As for the rest of me, I'm not so sure I can be that optimistic."  
  
Luke's serene gaze narrowed slightly as he frowned at the news, "Do you need   
me to send Hamysh over to see you?"  
  
Kyp pondered this for a second. Were his injuries really so serious that he needed   
a medic?  
  
"Do you need to take the day off?" Luke suggested with a shrug. As appealing as   
this sounded to Kyp, it just didn't sit well with him inside. He still felt a constant   
obligation to Luke Skywalker, both as a jedi and a friend. Complaining or taking off   
from work made him feel as if he was being ungrateful for all that Luke had done for   
him.  
  
"No, I'll be in at the normal time," Kyp answered, shaking his head to each side   
as far as his neck would allow.  
  
"Fine," Luke agreed, although he looked unconvinced. "I'll see you shortly."  
  
Kyp stared at the blackness of the comm screen for a moment as he wondered   
what he was getting himself into with this. He found the motivation to move again after   
he convinced himself that he didn't have to agree to be Li'aania's sparring partner. Not   
even if she was an attractive blonde who looked strikingly like his former apprentice.  
  
'She'd probably kill me if she knew I thought she looked like Brodey,' He   
thought to himself, making a mental note not to set her off again until his bruises had a   
chance to heal. That girl had a way of being dangerous, at least according to her older   
brother.  
  
*****************************************  
  
After a long, warm shower to get out the kinks in his muscles, Kyp hobbled down   
his usual path toward the clearing. Today was different from yesterday, and the air held   
the spicy scent of rain as wispy clouds rolled in over the horizon.  
  
"Ah, I see you made it down," Luke called over to him. "We're probably going to   
take it inside today. There's supposed to be a storm here shortly, and the weather probes   
think it'll be a big one."  
  
Kyp nodded in agreement before helping Luke and the others usher the children   
inside.  
  
"I'm surprised to hear you made it out of bed, Durron," A wry voice said from his   
side. He turned, not at all surprised to find Mara Jade Skywalker cocking an eyebrow at   
him. "It's very admirable that you decided to join us on this wonderful day."  
  
"Is that sarcasm I detect?" Kyp responded, grinning fiendishly.  
  
"You'd think so, wouldn't you? There are some days I just wish I could stay in   
bed," She groaned. He smiled back, understanding her point of view completely. In   
recent years the two had come from merely tolerating one another to reaching a sort of   
truce between them. Kyp couldn't help but smile each time she pretended to stare   
witheringly at him. Those were the days.  
  
"Kyp, over here!" A cheerful voice called once he'd entered the Great Hall. He   
tried his best to return Li'aa's cheerful greeting with a smile, but the pain in his body   
laced that smile with an underlying caution. He was sure she picked up on it. "Come on,   
I won't bite!" She cried, patting the bench next to her. He reluctantly obeyed.  
  
"Do you realize just how much pain you've caused me?" Kyp snapped, seriously   
irked by her cheerful demeanor.  
  
"Yes, but I was hoping I could help you forget it by being nice you," She   
answered back, her face growing semi-serious. It looked almost like the pout Anja had   
always given him when he said something pig-headed, and that made him feel even   
worse. "Looks like I really screwed that one up, huh?"  
  
Before Kyp could answer, Luke's voice floated loud and clear over the crowd,   
"Before we get into today's lesson I have a couple of very special guests to introduce to   
you all."  
  
"Never an end to the surprises with him, is there?" Kyp whispered flatly out of the   
corner of his mouth. "Who do you think it is this time?"  
  
"Shhh!" Li'aa replied, smacking him on the shoulder. She had a lingering feeling   
that this guest had something to say that was relevant to her. Maybe the stare that Master   
Skywalker was giving her was her first clue.  
  
"They've come a long way to be here, so please welcome N'aanwarian   
Ambassador Tan'aal Lakailan and his assistant, Minister Aelyn Yaatlani," Luke said   
evenly before the room erupted in applause.  
  
"I wonder what they're doing here," Li'aania muttered, her face screwing up in   
puzzlement as she clapped along with the crowd.  
  
"Call it a hunch, but I think it probably has something to do with you," Kyp   
responded, rolling his eyes.  
  
"The Ambassador has informed me that he needs a moment of Master Narundi's   
time, so Li'aania, if you'll please follow him then he'll escort you to one of the   
conference chambers," Luke explained, gesturing toward the door. "Now, today we're   
going to discuss the chain of events that led to the Great Sith War. Can anybody start us   
off?"  
  
Li'aa carefully inched her way along her row, stepping over people's legs as she   
made urgently for the door. She couldn't imagine what could be wrong, and why her   
mother hadn't mentioned anything about it last night when she talked. Sending the   
Dynasty's chief Ambassador for such a long trip certainly wasn't done so they could   
make small talk. Something was terribly wrong.  
  
"Your Grace," Ambassador Lakailan acknowledged with a low bow. "Right this   
way."  
  
"Ambassador Lakailan," She returned formally, extending her right hand to him   
as he stooped lower to lay a small kiss on her fingers. "To what do I owe the honor of   
your presence?"  
  
"It is by order of His Majesty the King that I am here," Tan'aal explained as he   
drew himself back up to his full height. He was a tall, older man, with jowls and grey-  
flecked hair that betrayed his true age. A veteran of the Serilian Trade War, he was   
almost as old as her father. For an older man, he wasn't that bad looking. He had the type   
of eyes that bled honesty.  
  
"What does His Majesty the Dork want me to do this time?" She asked, rolling   
her eyes as she grew tired with the formalities. Her obvious display of disrespect caused   
the Ambassador to raise his eyebrows in shock, but he quickly recovered.  
  
"Your brother has been informed by intelligence that craft similar to the kinds   
manufactured in Corellia have been spotted near sites of recent terrorist sabotage. His   
Majesty has asked most kindly for your help in getting to the bottom of this," Tan'aal   
explained after clearing his throat.  
  
"And he sent you all the way out here to tell me that?" Li'aa asked in disbelief.   
That just didn't seem like something Brodey would do, though he had his moments of   
stupidity as a ruler. "Why didn't he just send me a comm?"   
  
"Grace, the gravity of this situation requires such formalities. Many innocents   
have died as a result of these acts and we have reason to believe that a unified   
organization is behind all this," The Ambassador explained, still bowing ad nauseum. "I   
have also come to aid you in your quest for information."  
  
"That's all fine, Ambassador, but I'm sure I can find my own crew to accompany   
me to Corellia," She insisted, smiling all too falsely.  
  
"Princess Li'aania, I insist," He replied, bowing yet again. "Your brother has   
ordered that I join you. I cannot go against royal mandate. That would be a breech in   
protocol."  
  
'Ambassador Lakailan, perhaps you should use your time here in this galaxy to   
grow some balls,' Li'aa thought to herself with amusement, and she couldn't help but   
smile.  
  
"Grace, what is so funny?" He asked in his annoyingly formal tone, those pristine   
eyes staring her down.  
  
"Ambassador Lakailan, while I'm known for not following my brother's orders, I   
do accept your presence on this mission," Li'aa answered quickly, hoping she wouldn't   
regret it. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a class to attend. Inform me as soon as   
possible about when we'll depart."  
  
"Certainly, Princess Li'aania," Tan'aal said, bowing to kiss her hand once again.   
She offered it to Minister Yaatlani, who followed suit with his superior.  
  
"You know, you need to learn to shut this guy up every once in a while," She   
whispered to the Minister as she left the room. A slight twitch in his stony face was his   
only display of amusement, but it was enough to put a smile on her face. She loved   
dealing with these stuffed shirts. They were just so much fun to manipulate.  
  
********************************************************  
  
"Trouble?" Kyp whispered as she hopped over him and back onto her place on the   
bench.  
  
"I guess you could call it that," She grumbled. "My brother can't seem to get his   
act together and needs my help. Like I don't have enough to do around here."  
  
"Is it a mission?" Kyp asked, his face screwing up in contemplation. "Don't   
worry about your duties. Plenty of instructors around here go off on sabbatical, for many   
reasons."  
  
"I just started, Kyp," She hissed back, annoyed. "I don't think I'm entitled to any   
time off for a while."  
  
"I'm sure Luke will allow it," He replied, returning his attention to the jedi master   
speaking at the head of the assembly.  
  
"Will you come with me?" Li'aa blurted out before she even realized it. Why   
couldn't she control that big mouth of hers? He stomach lurched like it was getting   
trampled to the ground as he stared at her with a dumb look on his face. 'Please, don't   
look at me like I have a great, big zit on the end of my nose.'  
  
"Why do you want me to come along?" Kyp answered in a low voice, his face   
finally breaking into a look of confusion. At least it was better than the void expression   
he'd had a second before.  
  
"You see, those guys I was talking with," She said, pointing her thumb toward the   
edge of the room at the two tall N'aanwarian men. It was hard enough to keep from   
turning to mush inside after her outburst. Now she was trying to act casual about it all.   
"Biggest stiffs ever. I can't stand their presence for more than a few minutes without   
wanting to pull my hair out."  
  
"So you need me to keep you sane," Kyp finished for her with a smirk.  
  
"If you could," She added uneasily as she fiddled with the silvery rings on the   
fingers of her right hand.  
  
"Tell me all about it after this," He said after a moment's contemplation. "Then   
I'll give you my decision. I'm not one to commit to anything blindly, not even for my   
best friend's kid sister."  
  
Li'aania nodded soberly, trying to bite back her own frustration at herself. The   
only thing missing from his statement was the punctuation of putting her in a headlock   
and giving her a playful noogie. If she was ever going to have a guy who took her   
seriously, she'd have to make sure that they didn't know her brother first.  
  
**************************************************  
  
"Corellian ships on your planet? Couldn't that be due to the opening of trade   
between our two galaxies?" Kyp asked, scratching the stubble on his chin. His hands and   
wrists ached a little too much from catching himself to grasp a razor that morning.  
  
"Trade isn't as open as you may think. Each foreign vessel undergoes a thorough   
search before entering any port on my planet. It's just common procedure. Besides, the   
datapad I was given told me that at least one person onboard was caught. He admitted to   
terrorist acts but wouldn't say anything about whether he was working alone or in concert   
with someone else."  
  
"And you think he's working for someone else," Kyp stated the obvious as he   
folded his arms across his chest.  
  
"I'm not sure about that. This isn't an isolated incident, and that makes me think   
that there might be a connection. My dumb brother, bless his heart, wants me to see if   
that connection exists," Li'aa scoffed, wishing that Brodey was around so she could   
punch him hard on the arm in retribution. "So, I need all the help I can get. Are you in?"  
  
"I suppose it wouldn't kill me to come along on the trip," Kyp considered. "Fine,   
I'll come along as your bodyguard and personal entertainment. Just to warn you, though.   
I DON'T do show tunes."  
  
"We should hope not! I've heard you can't carry a tune in a bucket, Durron!" A   
youthful voice taunted. Li'aania's head shot over to its source and she was more than a   
little amused to see Valin Horn approaching, a crooked grin plastered across his face.  
  
"A Horn minding his own business, as usual," Kyp retorted with an equally   
pleasant smile.  
  
"What did those two big guys want with you?" Valin asked, ignoring Kyp's   
comment entirely.  
  
"They want me to run a mission to Corellia," Li'aa answered, trying to be subtle   
enough with her response so she didn't get a multitude of questions. The attempt failed   
disastrously.  
  
"Why would your ambassador want you to go to Corellia? Has there been any   
illegal trade or activity?" Valin questioned, putting on the same detective face that Kyp   
had seen many times before on his father, Corran.  
  
"Actually, I'm not sure. That's what I'm investigating," She stated, trying to   
sound as naïve as possible. She didn't have to look hard to realize that Valin had a liking   
for her, and while he was fairly attractive and friendly, she just wasn't sure if she wanted   
to invite him along. There was something about Kyp being a friend of the family that   
made her trust his company more.  
  
"Well, if you need any help, you know where to look," Valin responded cockily   
with a proud shake of his shaggy brown hair. Li'aa was sure she could sense Kyp's   
blood pressure rise with each passing second.  
  
"Hey, it's about time for lunch, isn't it?" She interjected cheerfully as she reached   
out and grabbed Valin's hand. "Why don't we all go and get some?"  
  
"Just make sure that Kyp doesn't end up wearing yours this time," Valin laughed   
as he pulled her to her feet and led her in the direction of food.  
  
"I know of a hawkbat that would love to have you for lunch, punk!" Kyp muttered   
under his breath in frustration as he followed the two inside. 


	9. Envy

"Of course I think it's a good idea," Luke agreed as he finished chewing a mouthful of food. "She may be an instructor but she still has her duties to the Order. Plus, I think it's been a while since you last went on a mission. You could use the change of scenery."   
  
"You didn't say anything about whether I'd be an asset to the mission, so I'm going to assume that you want me out of your hair," Kyp said, smiling wryly at him from across the table.   
  
"Something like that," Luke laughed good-naturedly. "Speaking of Li'aania, it looks like Valin Horn has taken an interest in her."   
  
"Hmmm, what possibly could have tipped you off on that?" Kyp asked, groaning as he glanced at the flirting that was going on at the other side of the room. "I promised Brodey that I'd keep an eye on her."   
  
"I see," Luke said with a nod. "Trying to shelter her from any man who might pursue her affections?"   
  
"Something like that, but more along the lines that bad things will happen to any guy who hurts her," Kyp replied, still staring with disapproval at Valin as the young man captivated her with his smile.   
  
"So you're sort of stepping in for the brother role," Luke stated, rubbing his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "I think that may be a mistake."   
  
"And why is that?"   
  
"Every mistake we make in a relationship is a learning experience," Luke offered. "By always shielding her from any source of conflict, you're depriving her of that experience."   
  
"I'm not going to deprive her of any experience," Kyp explained. "I'll just shove him around a bit if he tries anything funny."   
  
"Just a word of advice: Let her fight her own battles. She's definitely more than capable."   
----------------------------------------   
"Are you serious?" Li'aa laughed, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "She threw up ON him?"   
  
"That's what I've heard," Valin shrugged as he smiled warmly at her.   
  
"He never told me about any of that!"   
  
"I don't think it's the kind of thing that anyone's ever proud of," He said, snickering. "After all, it was his fault!"   
  
"It's not his fault if Jaina had a weak stomach with all the alcohol she put in it," Li'aa muttered with disdain. "One of the many reasons why my family frowns on drinking. Nothing good can come of it."   
  
"I suppose you're right, but I've still been enjoying myself since I was legal on Corellia," Valin replied with a wide grin and a wink in her direction. "Although I guess I weigh a little more than Jaina."   
  
"Yeah, soaking wet!" Li'aa teased, slightly surprised at her bravado. This guy was beginning to rub off on her.   
  
"I'm offended!" Valin cried, his mouth dropping open. "So, have you ever actually tried drinking in moderation for yourself, or are you just making a snap judgment about it based on what your parents say?"   
  
She shook her hand adamantly. "I'm not yet legal back at home. The only thing you can do before you're twenty three is pilot, and there's a limit on what you can fly."   
  
"But when you're legal, will you give it a test run?"   
  
Li'aania stared at him incredulously. She'd tried to change the subject to something more appropriate, but this guy just couldn't take a hint. "No, I won't 'give it a test run'. It's not my thing, and that's all there is to it."   
  
"Is it for religious reasons?" Valin questioned, still digging.   
  
"Look, discussing my family's alcoholism is not a favorite topic of conversation for me. Can we talk about something else?"   
  
"Okay. What got you interested in combat?" He asked, not skipping a beat.   
  
"That's easy," She answered, feeling at ease once again. "My brother. I always admired him for his skills as a fighter, even though he wasn't very admirable in other ways, toward the end."   
  
"And I take it you don't want to talk about it."   
  
"You're catching on!" Li'aa laughed, pointing a finger at him as she nodded her head. "Actually, all that fighting between him and my father doesn't bother me now, just because I know it all had a happy ending. It used to bug me to no end, though, during the six years he was gone."   
  
"What did you do during those six years?" Valin asked curiously, with the same dazed look she'd seen on Kyp. She obviously needed to wear a different perfume.   
  
"I was raised and instructed by my older brother," She responded. "And pestered by my third one."   
  
"Yikes," Valin cringed, pulling a face. "It's bad enough for me with just one sister!"   
  
"I wish I had a sister," Li'aania pouted. "All I have is three crummy older brothers. They're not any fun when you want to play dolls or dress-up."   
  
"Somehow I can't imagine you playing dress-up!" Valin chuckled. "You're too. . .different."   
  
"Valin Horn, you better mean that as a compliment!" She threatened.  
"Of course I do! Do you think I'd purposely insult a person who could beat me to a pulp?" He cried, roaring with laughter as he observed the dangerous look on her pale face. She obviously wasn't used to his strange sense of humor.   
  
"I'd prefer it if people were totally honest with me. I've met too many dishonest people in my lifetime to shrug if off," Li'aa commented with a grim smirk and meaningful eyes.   
  
Valin seemed to get the message for once as he cleared his throat and began, "When I first saw you I was convinced you were some sort of perfect, golden goddess sent down to brighten my day. Now that I'm getting to know you better I realize that you're a little rougher around the edges than I'd previously guessed. We have a few cultural and social differences, and your shattering of Durron in that duel yesterday ruined my 'pretty princess' notion of you, but I still find you to be a lot of fun to be around and I'd like to get to know you better. There, how was that?"   
  
Li'aania turned her face to the table, a smile forming on her face as the redness crept into her cheeks. She'd never been the object of such flattery, not even from her own family members. It was a little unnerving to hear words like that coming from a handsome young man to whom she was attracted. "That. . .was pretty sweet of you, Valin."   
  
"You're the one who's sweet," He said, giving her the same picture-perfect smile he'd given her the day before. The far-away look in his eyes spoke volumes about how he felt. So this was infatuation. If she didn't feel somewhat similarly, she might have told him to snap out of it.   
  
"Please, that's enough flattery for one day," She growled playfully. "Don't make me do to you what I did to Kyp!"   
  
That got his attention.   
  
"So, you said you liked ships?" He asked tensely as he jutted out his lower lip.   
  
"Yeah, I like them all right," She agreed, albeit hesitantly. In the previous conversation she hadn't uttered a word about her interest in flying, and it was strange to be in a place where everyone judged her abilities based on those of her brother. But she did appreciate the vessels for their aesthetic appearance. She had to give him that.   
  
"Well, then I have something that I absolutely have to show you," Valin replied with a wink.   
-----------------------------------------   
"He's flirting with her again," Kyp grumbled. "I don't like the way he's going about it. He always comes across as sneaky."   
  
"Pot. Kettle. Black," Mara answered bluntly as she plunked her tray down onto the table top next to her husband. She took a minute to remove her poncho and squeeze the rain out of her matted-down, coppery hair before taking her seat. All the while she kept her scrupulous gaze on Kyp. "You're just envious because he's being sneakier than you!"   
  
"A little wet out there, Mara?" Kyp sneered back, admiring her appearance.   
  
"Is that the best you can do?" She returned with a venomous smile.   
  
"I thought you just had to make a stop back at our quarters," Luke interrupted, looking at his wife with concern.   
  
"There's a driving storm out there, Skywalker," Mara replied sardonically. "It picked up in the past few minutes. If you actually paid it some attention, you might have noticed."   
  
"Guilty," Luke agreed with a slight nod of his head. "I've been too immersed in this discussion with Kyp about young Valin over there."   
  
"I know, I heard," Mara said, her eyes flickering with amusement. "With all due respect to Durron and his teenage rivalries, the important issue at hand is what we're going to do about the storm."   
  
"Cute," Kyp snapped, smiling sweetly at her. "I vote that we stay in here. It's an internal room, so we should be fairly safe from any electrical storm. Plus, we're all here already."   
  
"Not exactly," Mara laughed. "I do hope Li'aa's ambassador friends know how to swim."   
  
"So, we've agreed that we'll bring things in here?" Luke asked seriously, forcing himself not to smile at her comment.   
  
"Yeah, why not?" Kyp concurred. "Free food for everyone!"   
  
"Then I have an announcement to make," Luke said, pushing his chair out from the table.   
  
"Look at him over there, touching her hand as he talks to her," Mara taunted, jerking Kyp's attention back toward Valin and Li'aa. "And now it looks like he's taking her somewhere!"   
  
If Kyp noticed the glee in her eyes from that revelation, he didn't let on. He was too focused on the goofy grin smeared across young Horn's face. "Not if I can help it," He fumed, setting his jaw. 


	10. Better Than You

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" Luke called out over the lively chatter. Right as Valin had his finger pressed to the repulsor lift's control panel. "Afternoon instruction will be held right in this room, due to the storm outside."  
  
'Damn!' Valin groaned mentally, sighing as he was forced to abandon all hope of spending time alone with Li'aa. Master Skywalker had worse timing than the Solo family's golden protocol droid, Threepio!  
  
Li'aa turned around with him, and was surprised to see Kyp standing by her side, "What are you doing over here?" She asked in a suspicious whisper.  
  
Kyp had to think a bit before he found a suitable answer.  
  
"I wanted to remind you to bring your poncho," He whispered. 'Brilliant, Kyp. Real genius thinking right there.'  
  
"I want everyone to gather around to this side of the room," Luke said, his voice commanding their attention. The jedi master gestured to the tables closest to the salad bar.  
  
"It doesn't look like we're going anywhere, so I don't think I need the advice," Li'aa responded with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "But thanks anyway, Kyp."  
  
He nodded and smiled politely before returning to his seat near the red-headed jedi master. 'Stupid! Absolutely stupid!' He screamed, beating himself mentally for acting so brainless around her. She was Brodey's baby sister! It frustrated him that he couldn't seem to treat her the same way he treated Brodey. They didn't look much different, and yet they were.  
  
'Brodey looks better in makeup and a skirt,' Mara's voice taunted, worming its way into his head. Kyp shuddered violently. Brodey with falsies and fake eyelashes was one horribly disturbing memory that he'd tried hard to repress.  
  
"You can't be serious!" He hissed under his breath once he'd finally taken his seat. "She looks much better than THAT!"  
  
"Of course I'm not being serious!" She replied, scrunching her face up in disgust. The girl seemed to be depleting what few brain cells Kyp had in the first place. "However, you really need to be careful with your brooding. People are going to start noticing the browbeating you're giving yourself."  
  
He couldn't help but wince in retrospect at his apparently obvious behavior. "I don't know what my problem is." He just hoped that Li'aania was too wrapped up in looking at Valin to notice his clumsy social behavior.  
  
"Maybe your problem is that you like a girl who's half your age?" Mara suggested with critical eyes and another smirk.  
  
"In case you haven't noticed, she's twenty one years old, and an adult," Kyp growled, glaring at the older woman.  
  
Mara threw back her head and laughed, much to his chagrin. "Durron, you're precious, you know that? She may be twenty one, but in case you haven't noticed, YOU'RE OLD!" A strange cackle vibrated in her throat as she pondered the revelation. "Observe the mass of grey hairs that you and I have. It's called OLD!"  
  
"Are you done having fun at my expense yet?" He asked, annoyed.  
  
"Nope, not yet," She replied, still laughing. "Give me a minute to get it all out of my system."  
  
"Hurry it up," Kyp said through clenched teeth. "People are starting to stare at us."  
  
"What, you mean Skywalker?" Mara chuckled. "I think he's just wondering what all the laughing is about." She caught her husband's eye and, pointing at Kyp, mouthed the word 'old'.  
  
Luke didn't show more than a smile on the outside, but his eyes revealed that he got the joke. "All right, let's get started. I want everyone to break off into whatever group you're in for the afternoon. We'll try our best to keep everything the same, although the combat skills lesson might run into a few problems." He glanced over at Li'aa, who rolled her eyes and grinned.  
  
Kyp followed his young students to the corner of the room where Kam Solusar was helping Li'aa clear tables and chairs out of the way to make room for what would probably mean more pain for him. With much distaste, he noticed that Valin had also stepped up to help. The young man was doing nothing short of hanging off the poor girl.  
  
'I wonder what Brodey would do if he was around,' Kyp thought, smiling sneakily as he came up with an answer. Valin Horn was going to sorely regret his actions.  
  
"All right!" Li'aania said cheerfully once an adequate space had been made. She rubbed her hands together eagerly as she caught Kyp's eye. "Who here can show me what we learned last time?"  
  
The little blonde boy eagerly shoved his pudgy hand high in the air. "Oooh oooh! Pick me!"  
  
"What does he think he is? A Kowakian Monkey-Lizard?" Cherith commented with a sneer as Aurora snickered appreciatively.  
  
"Raine, why don't you come up here and demonstrate?" Li'aa asked, her voice tinged with reproach as she glanced over at the two giggling girls. Her smile was genuine but the hard look in her eyes definitely meant business. "Kyp, are you up for it?"  
  
He wasn't expecting that. "Um, up for what?"  
  
"Being a sparring partner to Raine here," She responded, gesturing to the youth as the boy jutted his lower chin out smugly. He had the looks of a little terror who was ready to use Kyp as his personal punching bag, and that alone was enough for him to make his decision.  
  
"I think I'm going to pass on that. I planned on being a passive observer to your class today," Kyp said, tossing her his signature roguish wink.  
  
"Okay," Li'aa said with a nod as her face flushed a bit. "Valin! Want to give me a hand with this?"  
  
"Sure!" The young man answered, enthusiastically stepping in to help. "What exactly do you want me to do?"  
  
'Get the snot beat out of you, of course,' Kyp thought in response as he tried his hardest not to smile.  
  
"I just want you to be a sparring partner for Raine here," She explained. "Anytime you're ready, you can begin. And Valin?"  
  
"Yeah?" Their eyes met in a way that engrossed him.  
  
"Go easy on him, okay? He's just a kid."  
  
Raine, who viewed this distraction as the perfect time to begin the fight, let out a squeaky-voiced battle cry as he raced toward Valin. The young jedi knight barely had time to react before Raine delivered a couple of swift kicks to his shins and sent him tumbling to the ground. Raine would have continued kicking if he didn't have Li'aania to slow him down.  
  
"Okay," She said tensely as she grabbed the boy by the collar with the force. He seemed not to notice and tried his best to fight against it. "That was good, but perhaps not with the level of control I'd like."  
  
"Control?" Valin groaned, picking himself up. "There wasn't an ounce of control in that attack!"  
  
"Come now, Valin," Kyp scolded with a smirk. "Be nice to the boy. He's only just learning."  
  
"And that's supposed to be an excuse to act like a maniac?" Valin protested with a deadly stare at the older man. "Oh, I forgot that you endorse the blowing up of planets and other acts of criminal mischief!"  
  
"Oh wow, this is getting to be so sweet!" Raine commented, his beady eyes wide with captive wonder.  
  
"Gentlemen!" Li'aa reprimanded in her best instructor voice. It came out squeaky and sounded rather forced. "Must I remind you that there are students here who observe your words and actions? If you can't behave then I suggest you take your grievances with each other elsewhere."  
  
"You know, that sounds like a wonderful idea!" Kyp agreed, a little too cheerfully. "I'd love to take my grievances with young Valin right outside into the rain!"  
  
Li'aa's face quickly turned to a look of surprise, "Kyp. . ." She said in an uncharacteristically low voice. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to like where this was headed.  
  
"Li'aa, don't worry about it." Valin cracked his neck to one side, a false grin similar to Kyp's spreading wide across his face. "This is a perfect opportunity to show these kids some real hand-to-hand! Let's go, Durron! I'm ready for whatever grievances you can throw at me!"  
  
Valin marched out of the room through the thick wooden doors with Kyp following closely behind. It took mere seconds before a deluge of fervent nine-year-olds joined the pursuit, and Li'aania found she could do little to stop them. Yelling about the weather didn't work. She even considered threatening them with discipline as she chased after the group, but knowing that she had neither the permission nor the authority to punish left that idea by the wayside.  
  
On the steps of the stone staircase leading to the landing platform she found the soaking-wet ambassador and his assistant. Their startled looks obviously came from the run-in with the stampede of young children, and she couldn't help but smirk, stressed as she was. She could almost hear Ambassador Lakailan moaning about how much the children on this planet misbehaved compared to N'aanwarian youth.  
  
'Whoever thinks that obviously never met MY family,' Li'aa thought to herself with satisfaction. There was never a dull moment in her life, and the shouts and cheers of the courtyard reinforced her convictions. 


End file.
